Jitter Impacts on Equalized Link Performance: Part 3Design How-To 4/29/2003 Post a commentThere's no doubt that 5- to 6.25-Gbit/s backplanes will become the de-facto standard in the communication arena. But to get there, designers need to tackle some tough challenges. In Part 3 of this series, we'll lay out some test platforms that allow engineers to better analyze performance on higher-speed backplanes.

Embedded memories multiply inSoCsDesign How-To 4/28/2003 Post a commentSRAMs have long been a system-on-chip mainstay, but both the size of the SRAM blocks and the number of them in a single SoC have started to increase explosively in the past year or so.

Small EMS shops hunt for design talentNews & Analysis 4/28/2003 Post a commentWithout in-house engineering expertise at their fingertips, a growing number of small EMS providers are reaching out to third-party firms or larger contract manufacturers to enhance their design capabilities.

JEDEC, memory test lab square off over specsNews & Analysis 4/28/2003 Post a commentA confrontation over memory module testing is shaping up between the JEDEC Solid State Technology Association and an independent lab that performs motherboard compatibility testing for Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Intel Corp.

Europe slaps hefty duty on Hynix DRAMsNews & Analysis 4/28/2003 Post a commentThe European Commission last week ruled that a provisional countervailing duty of 33% will be levied on imported DRAMs from Hynix Semiconductor Inc. as a penalty for what the commission said were illegal subsidies the chipmaker received from the Korean government.

In fact, as its semiconductor suppliers try to regain their footing and adopt new long-range business strategies, Japan is among the few markets expected to raise spending for new plants and equipment.

Loewe, Sharp join to make LCD TVs for EuropeNews & Analysis 4/28/2003 Post a commentGerman consumer electronics company Loewe Opta GmbH, has announced plans to further expand a collaboration agreement with Japanese liquid crystal display (LCD) maker, Sharp Corporation for the development and supply of LCD TVs to the European market.

Haltingly, Film Bows to the Digital FutureNews & Analysis 4/27/2003 Post a commentKodak's Advantix Preview falls short of being a true hybrid digital/film camera. A complex and somewhat poorly implemented design, the camera seems more of a grudging acknowledgement that photography is moving from film toward cheaper, simpler and smaller digital-imaging alternatives.

PWM control chip handles higher heatProduct News 4/24/2003 Post a commentIntersil Corp. has spun new versions of its Endura ISL6558 multiphase pulse-width modulation controller, making it available in an industrial temperature grade and in a near-chip-scale quad flat no-lead (QFN) package.

Lithium batteries eye PCs, autosProduct News 4/24/2003 Post a commentWith the energy density and capacity of rechargeable lithi-um-ion and lithium-polymer cells up by a quarter to a third over the past two and a half years, suppliers of Li-ion batteries are now tackling bigger and more varied applications that include larger and more capable PC-based systems, automobiles and military equipment.

Jitter Impacts on Equalized Link Performance: Part 2Design How-To 4/24/2003 Post a commentThere's no doubt that 5- to 6.25-Gbit/s backplanes will become the de-facto standard in the communication arena. But to get there, designers need to tackle some tough challenges. In Part 2 of this series, we'll examine the role deterministic jitter plays in emerging active backplane designs.